Welcome back to the Extra Edition newsletter and welcome to my new subscribers from this past weekend’s St. Joseph Cottleville and Ursuline Academy events! I’m excited to bring you bonus content each month with a special inside look at my novels and the history behind them.
What’s in this Edition:
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month
The Readers Have Spoken – The articles you want to see in 2025
Sing a Song of the Sea – My latest writing soundtrack
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness
Did you know that October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month with October 15 being Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day? 1 out of every 4 women has experienced a miscarriage or infant loss at some point in their lives. My husband and I experienced two miscarriages, so I understand the heartbreak it brings and the years of struggle to find meaning from such a loss.
While miscarriage (and infertility in general) is a common problem, it is still discussed all too infrequently. I can only imagine how isolated one would feel in a time period without modern medicine, when few understood the complexities of reproduction, and discussing such delicate issues was considered socially unacceptable. These were some of the many reasons I chose to incorporate infertility, miscarriage, and stillbirth into many of my stories. Through the couples in my books, I hope to show women and men the beauty they hold even without a biological child of their own, and that there is hope and blessing in overcoming that struggle together.
This month, I ask that you pray for those who are facing these issues, both the ones you know of and those who haven’t yet shared their stories. For my Catholic readers, October is also the month of the Holy Rosary. Asking our Lady to join you in prayer to her Son is a powerful way to help bring others peace.
The Readers Have Spoken
Thank you to those who responded to my survey on serialized articles. Far and away, almost all of those who responded wanted to learn more about two main topics:
- On Location – Real Life Locations from my Books
- The Art of Cover Design – How I create my covers, source photos, work with authors, etc.
Coming in second was “The Self-Publishing Process – Behind-the-scenes steps readers may not know.”
When asked which topic you wanted to read about the most, the majority (44%) said you most wanted to learn about the real life locations from my novels. When asked about the frequency of articles, you were tied for “1-3 times per year” and “Rotate 2-3 topics over the course of a year.”
Based on these results, new articles will begin in January 2025. To ensure you see the articles you’re most interested in, make sure to save the following schedule. Additional articles, such as author interviews (placing 3rd), may also be added along the way.
Sing a Song of the Sea
Since a good amount of my next novel, Stars in the Storm, involves sailors, the sea, and sailing ships, I have been listening to sailing-inspired music while writing. Spotify has introduced me to a whole host of new artists and it’s been fun listening to the wide variety of music available. These are just a few of my favorites:
- Spotify’s Sea Shanties Playlist
- EPIC, the Musical soundtrack
- Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag soundtrack and the Sea Shanty Edition
- Sail North
- My Stars in the Storm Playlist
Until next month, happy reading!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Kelsey
Purchase signed copies of my books: kelseygietl.com
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Purple Mask Publishing
2025 Zumbehl Rd, Ste. 33
St. Charles, MO 63303
